When Nagi woke, he realized he was floating.

An empty space where he drifted aimlessly through the vast expanse, with nothing in sight in any direction.

It was not the kind of nothing that would invoke dread, however, nor was the strange space bathed in darkness. It was bright, but bright in a gentle, soothing way.

It felt like cotton candy. Nagi let out a soft sigh as he righted himself into the direction he believed to be upwards. This place came to him like an old friend.

A "mind space" is what he had taken to calling it. A place where he could go in times of rest and unconsciousness, where he could regather himself away from the waking world. Not truly awake, but more conscious than a lucid dream. Truth be told, he wasn't completely sure what it was. All he knew was that he had control of it, a place that served as both an unassailable mental fortress and somewhere he could truly be at ease.

"You've returned."

An ethereal voice spoke from somewhere in the void, its hymn-like sound filling the empty space. Nagi smiled softly, letting out a soft sigh before he replied.

"Y-Yeah… guess I'm still alive, huh?"

"So it seems," the voice replied. Though he could not see the ethereal being, he could feel its presence. He felt a sensation like a stare gazing at his covered wrists. "Your hands… may I see them?"

"Ah…" Nagi gave a senseless smile. He knew this would be coming. After a moment of debate, he uncovered his wrists and held them out into the void. The ethereal presence softly grazed his palm before gently taking his wrist in its hand. He felt an invisible finger trace the scars, longer than before. The touch was warm, and soft, like a gentle father inspecting their child.

"...The scars. They're longer now"

"...Yeah."

"...I am sorry."

"For what? I'm the one who couldn't manage."

"I should have intervened."

"No." Nagi's hands tightened as he pulled his wrists away. "No… I can handle myself."

"...Of course. As you say." The voice fell quiet as Nagi closed his eyes, aimlessly drifting now through the empty void. The sensation wasn't that different from floating in a warm bath, the tension and stress evaporating from his body like water into steam. "You've started school."

"Mm."

"How is it? Is it all that you've longed for?"

"Ehe… It's been something," Nagi replied. After a moment, he smiled. "But it's been better than I expected. I've even got a tutor."

"Yes, the gray one."

"Fu Hua." Nagi paused. "...You noticed that, but not that I started school?"

"It was a conversation starter. And yes, the gray one."

"She's not even the only one with gray hair!"

"...The tall gray one." A quiet noise like laughter filled the void, a noise which brought a smirk to Nagi's face. "Yes, I've watched her closely. She will be good for you."

"Well duh!"

"More than that. She is used to teaching... experienced. Far more than she lets on. When next you train, watch her closely. You will see what I mean."

"Uh… if you say so," Nagi replied with a shrug. "...Hehe."

"Hm?"

"I won."

"...You did."

"Did you take over?" Nagi's eyes fell down. "Afterwards, I mean."

"No. With the danger eliminated, I had no reason to intervene."

"Phew…" Nagi nodded, and no more was needed to be said. Silence filled the void as Nagi continued to aimlessly drift. Although it was quiet, there was a faint thrum in the void that ensured the silence was ambient, not awkward.

"...Izanagi." The voice broke the silence suddenly and without warning.

"Yeah?" Nagi opened his eyes and looked up.

"I'm proud. You did well."

"E-Eh?" He blinked, caught off guard by the sudden praise. "Oh… um…" His cheeks turned red as he scratched his cheek. "I… um… thanks."

"Of course."

"...ki …suki… Itsuki!"

With a groan, Nagi opened his eyes only to find his body beset with a terrible ache. His vision was blurry, but through the waking pain, he could hear a familiar voice calling out to him. He turned his head in the voice's direction.

"...T-Teach?"

"Itsuki, can you hear me?"

He raised a hand, rubbing his eyes clear. There, standing at his bedside—it seemed he was in an infirmary—was Fu Hu accompanied by a nurse. Nagi blinked, caught off guard by her presence.

"...So you do care!" Nagi exclaimed with a grin, but his throat was hoarse. He winced from trying to move. A glance at his arms revealed that they were wrapped in tightly bound bandages from wrist to shoulder. He sighed. The all too familiar sensation of mana-burn, like his body was dried out and weak. As he looked himself over, Fu Hua let out a sigh. A second later, her hand chopped his skull, earning a cry of pain from the bedridden boy. "Ow!?"

"I gave you one instruction! Do not be a hero, and what happens!?" Fu Hua sighed as she pinched her temple. "You end up like this." Nagi winced at her words.

"...I-I—" Nagi opened his mouth to speak, but for a moment, found no words came to mouth.

"..." Fu Hua took a deep breath, before nodding to the nurse. The nurse nodded and walked away, giving the two of them space. Fu Hua then turned back to Nagi. "...I'm glad you're alive, Itsuki. But I said to—"

"I wasn't trying to be a hero!" Nagi exclaimed quickly. It was not a blurt of indignation or anything of that sort. Still, he was out of line, and so he slammed his lips shut. Fu Hua narrowed her eyes… but remained quiet. Taking that as a prompt to continue, Nagi did.

"I… was sticking with my team. Ana, Wendy, and uh… Bronya. We were in the center when it happened, so I stuck with them, and… things went wrong, and I got separated." He paused and smiled sheepishly. "...Any acts of heroism that followed were, uh. Happenstance."

"You were a mile away from Schariac's team when we found you collapsed on the street."

"I'm lightweight and I got launched! There was a big explosion!"

Fu Hua stared at him as if testing the worth of his words. After a moment… she seemed to relent. "I will check with them later, then." Nagi's expression softened upon hearing that. He was just about to ask if they were fine. "But… for now, very well. I am not here to harass you." Fu Hua took a seat beside the bed with a sigh. "How are you feeling?"

"Worse than usual. But, better than when we were exercising, so… could be worse."

"Don't play coy, Itsuki."

"..." Nagi looked down, clutching the sheets that were draped over him tight. "I… I-I…" He struggled to find the words. "I was… scared. But… not the usual kind of scared. Scared I was going to die. Scared that because I was weak, others were going to die."

"...Of course. I understand." Nagi looked up at her. He was surprised to find her expression filled with concern.

"But…" Nagi took a deep breath. And another, to be safe. He released the sheets and looked up at Fu Hua. "I understand now." Fu Hua tilted her head as if confused by his answer. "The enemy we're fighting. Honkai. How dangerous it is…" Nagi sighed. "How… weak I am."

"A sobering realization."

"But that's just it." Now, Nagi's face once downcast looked back to Fu Hua with a smile. "I need to grow stronger." He shook his head. "No… I want to get stronger, Teach. I know exactly how weak I am now. So more than ever… I want to put this weakness behind me and never be someone who has to be saved like this ever again."

Fu Hua stared at him in silence. She met his gaze, which now burned with determination behind his silver eyes. Fu Hua stared, and considered… and smiled. "Very well, Itsuki. Though you aren't ready for a change in training just yet. We've barely started your routine."

Nagi's face turned red. "Y-You know what I mean!"

"Yes," Fu Hua replied with an uncharacteristic chuckle. "Yes, I do. How long will you be out for?"

"Huh? How should I know…?"

"Itsuki, you know your own body far better than any doctor. How long will you be out?"

"...Probably the rest of today, at the latest. I'll be back in shape either by the evening or tomorrow… mostly." Nagi gazed at his arms wistfully. "...Mostly."

Fu Hua nodded solemnly. "Very well. Then… before I leave you to rest, I have a question." She mulled over her words, before asking, "While you were out in Soukai… was there anything unusual? Beyond the Eruption itself."

"Unusual? Uhhh…" Nagi took a moment to think, crossing his arms. "Not that I can think of… Ana, Wendy, and I had been in the middle of laser tag when the Eruption started. Anything beyond that was… characteristic…" He trailed off. "That… reminds me…" He looked at Fu Hua. "Uhh… was there anyone else when I was found?"

Fu Hua narrowed her eyes. "...Beyond the three civilians that led us to you, no. You were alone resting against the side of a shop, your wounds lightly treated. …There was blood everywhere."

"...M-My own, if you were wondering," Nagi muttered. Fu Hua raised an eyebrow, but he continued, clearing his throat. "W-Well… I was fighting a Templar, I think it was called, when… well, I won, but passed out. But… right as I was about to go, there was a whoooole bunch of beasts—" Nagi threw his arms wide to emphasize the number. "—that showed up, and I thought I was dead meat, when…" He placed his hands on his head in a gesture reminiscent of bunny ears. "Some like… pink-haired bunny-fox girl showed up? And then… whoosh!" He threw his arm out in a line in front of him. "They all got diced up! I just kinda assumed she was a Valkyrie, but… maybe that counts as weird?"

Fu Hua blinked. Nagi blinked back at her. Then, Fu Hua let out a sigh, covering her face with her palm. Nagi's face flushed. "What!?"

"...Eccentric description aside, if there is such a Valkyrie in Schicksal, I do not know of them." Fu Hua shifted her hand to her chin. "But that does sound… reminiscent of someone I once knew." She stroked her chin thoughtfully. "By chance… did she wield a katana?"

"Eh? Uhh… Yeah, actually! It was like… she cut the beasts into sakura petals. It was like… straight out of an anime!" Fu Hua blinked, taken aback. "...Y-You know what anime is, right?"

Fu Hua stared at Izanagi in silence. She let out a sigh. "I am well aware, Itsuki."

"I had to be sure! You sometimes give…" Nagi paused mid-sentence and quickly cleared his throat. "N-Nevermind…"

"...Itsuki."

"Gak— Y-Yeah?"

"Finish your statement." Fu Hua's expression had darkened. Her glasses covered her eyes with an ominous white light, as a similarly dark aura arose from Fu Hua's body. Nagi's face turned pale as Fu Hua adjusted said glasses.

"W-Well… you…"

"And do not lie, either. I am very curious what you had to say."

"...S-Sometimes… give… the vibe of… an old, strict lady…?"

"Is that so."

Fu Hua fell deathly silent. Sweat began racing down the sides of Nagi's face like waterfalls. Suddenly, the Templar didn't seem so bad. Fu Hua stood to her feet, but not before giving Nagi a wide, ear-to-ear smile.

"I look forward to seeing you tomorrow, Izanagi Itsuki." Fu Hua turned and walked away, but not before giving Nagi one last ominous look over her shoulder.

"S-See you tomorrow, T-Teach…" Nagi muttered. But just as Fu Hua was about to leave the silent room, Nagi heard on the edge of his hearing…

"I don't seem that old, do I…?"

It was later that evening when Nagi was released from the infirmary thanks to his regeneration finally kicking back in. Although there were some lingering pains, not to mention the ever-unpleasant pulse of mana burn, he was more than well enough to return to his room. The nurse seemed shocked, given the state he was found in, but Nagi waved her away with a carefree smile.

Now, he found himself walking through the dormitory toward his apartment. Just as he reached his room, however, he was met with an unexpected face as the door opened from within: Bronya Zaychik, who looked just as surprised to see him. She was bandaged up, more scuffed up than he was. Otherwise, she looked like she was doing well. That's a relief… Nagi thought with a slight smile.

"Subject: Izanagi," Bronya greeted, her monotone voice giving away a faint sense of surprise. "Confirming subject status… relatively unharmed. The Bronya is pleased to see this."

"Oh, uh… y-yeah, I'm alright," Nagi muttered, blinking in surprise. "What are you doing—" Without warning, Bronya bowed to him. Nagi froze mid-sentence, flinching back at the sight. "B-Bronya…?"

"The Bronya is deeply sorry, Subject: Izanagi Itsuki."

"H-Huh?"

Bronya stood tall and looked Nagi right in the eyes. "Subject: Itsuki is a C-Rank Knight. It was the Bronya's duty as a B-Rank Valkyrie to protect you. However, due to the Bronya's—"

"Y-You don't need to explain!" Nagi quickly scrambled, cutting her off. "But… really, it's fine! I knew what I was getting into!"

"Нет. The Bronya will apologize regardless." Bronya bowed her head once more. "...The Bronya apologizes for being unable to protect you, Subject: Itsuki."

"...F-Fine!" Nagi shook his head, to Bronya's surprise, and pointed a finger at her. "Then I am sorry for being so weak that you felt obligated to protect me!"

Bronya was taken aback. She gave Nagi a strange look, before letting out a sigh. "...The Bronya does not understand—"

"It was my choice to go with you guys! I should have been stronger!"

"But—"

"No buts! So Bronya… I forgive you for not being able to protect me!"

Bronya's eyes widened as Nagi stared at her, unflinching. Slowly, she nodded her head. "...The Bronya shall forgive Subject: Itsuki, for being weak." Nagi grinned. His point turned to a thumbs up.

"There. Now we're even."

"Да. The Bronya shall wish Subject: Itsuki a good night." Bronya bowed her head once more, before turning and walking away. She stopped at her door, giving Nagi one last look before knocking. The door opened, only for Bronya to be greeted by two people tackling her… Nagi recognized them as Raiden Mei and Himeko-sensei.

"Bronya-chan!"

"Welcome back, brat!"

"...Heh," Nagi smirked at the joyous reunion, before making his way inside his own apartment.

"Nagi!" Only for he, too, to be greeted by two familiar faces… though not as aggressively as Bronya had been. Wendy and Ana looked at him in surprise, caught in the middle of returning to their own rooms. They looked more banged up than he was, not much better off than Bronya had been. A strange sense of guilt bit at his heart, but he didn't get time to acknowledge it as Ana rushed over to him.

"You're alright!" she exclaimed as she quickly began inspecting him. His arms, his legs, she quickly inspected him head to toe, even lifting his shirt—ignoring the indignant response she got in turn. Though she grimaced at the bandages on his arm, she pulled him into a hug.

"Wah… H-Hi, yeah, I'm f-fine!" Nagi exclaimed, his face turning bright red from the unexpected contact. The hug was awkward for him, given the relative height difference between the two… before he knew it, his face was turning brighter red for that very same reason. "I mean… n-no, I'm fine!"

"Nagi… I'm sorry…" Ana muttered. Nagi's eyes went wide. "I'm sorry… it was my fault you got dragged into that… there's no excuse for it." Her hold on him tightened. But something felt off. Ana was shaking as she held him, but he couldn't quite put a finger on why—

It clicked as he got a look at her face. She was sobbing. Nagi fell dead silent as she held him.

"I… I knew you wanted to get stronger… So I thought… I thought it would be safe for you, as long as you were with us…" Ana stopped, slowly pulling away from Nagi, her face flustered and her eyes wet.

"Hey!" Nagi spoke up, placing his hands on her shoulders. "Um… W-Well… I forgive you, then!"

"...W-What…?"

"Uh… well, I kinda just did this bit with Bronya, but…" He smiled awkwardly. "It was my choice. You didn't force me. You didn't drag me in. So none of that! And that goes for both of you!" Nagi looked over Ana's shoulder to Wendy. "I'm fine! If anything, it's great that I was the one who was left alone! Because…"

He paused and thought back to his fight with the Templar. The three civilians whose names he still didn't know. His final stand. "Because I got a lot out of it. Because now… I know exactly what I need to be to stand at your guys' side!"

"But—"

"Oi!"

"Ow!?"

Nagi pinched both of Ana's cheeks with a grin on his face. "No~ more~ of~ that!" He pulled tight, much to the girl's agony, before finally releasing and leaving her cheeks sore. "Understood!? Today is a new day, and tomorrow is on its way!" Nagi pulled her face close. "Understood!?"

"Y-Yes!?"

"Good! Then we're past moping and instead, we can be happy that we're all here and alive! Understood!?"

"U-Understood!?"

"Perfect!" Nagi let her go. "Wendy!"

"Y-Yeah?" Wendy blinked, caught off guard by the sudden call.

"Do I hear any apologies coming from you!?"

"...Mm. One."

"Okay, well, you were supposed to say no, but… fine, fine, get it out of your system."

"...Mm. Sorry. That's all." Wendy nodded, before giving him a thumbs up. Nagi grinned and sent her a thumbs-up back.

"Alright, you two! Who's hungry? Cuz boy I am starving!"

"...Um. I am…" muttered Ana.

"Mm. I want stew," said Wendy

"S-Stew— Okay, well, we can do that tomorrow or something."

"Boo…"

"That takes like a whole day!"

"You can do it."

"You brat!"

Ana blinked as she watched Nagi stride right on past her, with Wendy following behind him into the kitchen. She tilted her head, curiously, before raising a hand to her stinging cheeks. As the two bickered playfully on the other side of the room, Ana couldn't help but think...

He seems… different.

His words continued to ring in her mind. I see… She giggled softly to herself, before standing to her feet and following after the two. I guess... I can be a little stronger too.

"To be back here so soon... Fufu, I should have known it would get interesting." With a smile, Rita stepped down the ramp of the airship behind her, her eyes locking with the gray-haired girl waiting on the edge of the platform.

"Rita," Fu Hua spoke, her eyes hidden behind the light of her glasses. Rita stopped a few feet away from the class monitor, her relaxed expression betraying nothing.

"Fu Hua-sama," the maid greeted. "How have you been?"

"...If you're here," Fu Hua replied, "then that means it's worse than I thought."

Rita's expression remained unchanged. "Has the evacuation of Soukai City been completed?"

"Nearly. By tomorrow morning, most likely."

"I am glad to hear it. Our investigation should go smoothly, then." Rita stepped forward and stopped by Fu Hua's side.

On the airship ramp, a squad of well-equipped, well-armed Valkyries began to descend down the platform. They each wore the attire of Schicksal's most elite organization... the Immortal Blades.

"We shall handle things from here, Fu Hua-sama." Rita looked at the gray-haired class monitor across from her. "Though, Durandal-sama will not be accompanying us just yet." Fu Hua did not reply. Rita glanced at the class monitor, both Valkyries remaining in place.

"But I must ask, Fu Hua-sama… There must be some reason you are the one greeting me this evening? Normally, I would expect Theresa-sama first and foremost."

Fu Hua remained silent as Rita awaited her response. At last, Fu Hua turned back to Rita as she removed her glasses. Her eyes matched Rita's, a grave light within.

"Why is Otto Apocalypse interested in Izanagi Itsuki?"

Author's Notes:

1. Sorry for the delay to be followed up with a shorter chapter~ I had to finish out my last semester of school, of which I am finally... mostly... free of for good! As a result, I'm going to try and post chapters more often.

2. Said updates are likely to be shorter, which should be a good thing. While long chapters are nice, learning to make them more engaging but shorter length is something I need to work on.

3. With that said, more of Nagi's mysterious internal voice appears, this time directly interacting with Nagi! I'm curious to see what your thoughts are on that little interaction~

4. Rita returns only for an immediate confrontation! Although they seemed concluded, matters in Soukai City seem to only grow worse after all? What could be so pressing that the immortal blades must get involved? And just what is the importance of Fu Hua's question?

5. This is where things will start to pick up for the time being as we officially enter our first proper arc! The prologue is now done and past, so stay tuned!